Green Transition Scoreboard — August 2011 Update

While mainstream media, economists and general opinion still designate the Green Economy as “emerging” and assume green investments are riskier or provide lower returns than other investments, global investors have quietly and increasingly moved over $2.4 trillion dollars of their assets and investment into the green transition.

The Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS) is a time-based, global tracking of this private financial system for sectors investing in green markets. Ethical Markets Media began reporting on the GTS in 2009, tracking private investments and firm commitments in the Green Economy since 2007. This update of the GTS finds that over $2.4 trillion has been invested in the green economy, up from the $2 trillion reported in February 2011.

Many studies, computer models and reports indicate that investing $1 trillion annually until 2020 can ramp up material and energy efficiencies, reduce costs of wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy, increase sustainable land-use and forestry, and support smart infrastructure, transport, building and urban re-design to solidify the Green Transition worldwide. The updated 2011 finding of over $2.4 trillion shows global investors and countries on track to reach $10 trillion in investments by the 2020 goal.